


Secrets of the Sea

by Tentaculiferous



Category: Transformers - All Media Types, Transformers Generation One
Genre: Animal Traits, Crack Relationships, Enemy Lovers, Forbidden Love, Freedom, Interfactional Relationships, M/M, Ocean, Ownership, Rare Pairings, Secret Relationship, Star-crossed, Underwater
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-09
Updated: 2016-10-09
Packaged: 2018-08-20 09:17:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,670
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8244133
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tentaculiferous/pseuds/Tentaculiferous
Summary: "The sea, once it casts its spell, holds one in its net of wonder forever." --Jacques Yves CousteauMegatron can't let Seaspray go. And Seaspray can't let Megatron go. Neither want this complicated love, but they can't break free of it. The love that grew on that island, a strange and fey thing between two enemy combatants, entangles them like a net. Will they ever be free?





	

**Author's Note:**

> This is a follow-up to the short ficlet, [" _The Love of a Gladiator for a Boat_ "](http://icecreamrobot.tumblr.com/post/143034114632/the-love-of-a-gladiator-for-a-boat-word-count-573) that I posted on Tumblr. Short story shorter, Megatron and Seaspray were stranded on a desert island together, and eventually fell in love.

Seashells. Pretty little things to most. Megatron knew better. They were hard, protective armor, the leftover body parts of an organic species, remaining behind while the soft, weak flesh parts of the organic animals had long-since rotted away. 

Megatron liked to think he was like those seashells, firm and unyielding and withstanding the test of time, any softness in him long since brutally murdered. That was why he kept the necklace, a long string of those whorled and curved shells all tied together with palm fronds. Because it reminded him of how strong he was. Not because he had watched, over long idle hours, as a certain idiot boatformer had lovingly stitched the whole thing together just for him. 

When Seaspray had told him the true origins of those pretty little shells, he had been able to show real delight for the first time since the boatformer had begun spewing his sea facts. Megatron had been nodding along and pretending interest the whole time, but when he grasped part of it he could relate to personally his eagerness had shone through, his excitement over the tiny little shells, like crumbs in the minibot's hands, had put a smile on Seaspray's face. 

"The humans use them in jewelry sometimes. I could make you a necklace of them if you'd like." the boatformer had burbled at him.

Megatron had been torn between protecting his technosuperiority (as if he'd be interested in anything the fleshbags had as a custom!) and convincing the boatformer of his innate goodness. A tiny, miniscule (almost nonexistent for Primus's sake!) part of him might have wanted the necklace too. Not that he'd ever admit it. Despite its tininess, it had tipped the scales enough for Megatron to grudgingly agree to the seashell necklace. 

And that was how Megatron ended up with the necklace he could only wear in the secrecy of his own quarters, when he was absolutely certain he'd be undisturbed. He spent more time than he was comfortable with doing as he was now, lying on his berth, stroking the shells of the necklace and feeling the smooth slide of one shell and the bumpy ridges of another, thinking of an all-too-brief time spent on an insignificant little island with an insignificant little bot. 

Although that bot _had_ outwitted him on Tlalak. His love was smarter than they gave him credit for. Those Autobots didn't appreciate a brave and clever warrior like his boatformer enough. "His love" Megatron thought with disgust. "Bah." he muttered. He had to stop thinking of the goofy, sentimental little Autobot like that. 

While Seaspray might have shown himself to be a worthy warrior, no mech should be thought of with loving tenderness by Megatron. Love was a disgusting, useless emotion. It contributed nothing to the cause, and it was weakening him, distracting him from his life's work: conquering. While he lay in here mooning over the inconsequential Aubotbot, Starscream and who knew who else were plotting his downfall, the Autobots were shoring up their resources, and his troops were grumbling for lack of energon. 

Megatron sat up and took the necklace off, balling it up in his hand. He stared at the colorful array of seashells peeping out of his fist. He had to be like the shells. He had to kill this weakness in him and leave nothing but the hard, brittle shell behind. His hand clenched, powerful dark gray fingers squeezing against the shells and grinding them into calcium carbonate dust. When the necklace was completely destroyed, he opened his fist and let the powder fall to the floor. 

He sneered down at the small pile of dust on the ground. He had conquered it. With that, maybe he could finally get some recharge. He lay back down on the berth on his side, staring at the cold purple walls that would give no comfort.

* * *

Megatron startled awake, his sensors alert and telling him he was not alone. 

"Megatron." a voice burbled at him. 

Megatron turned over, optics wide with fury and shock. "You!" he hissed.

He should have known. Before Seaspray had even opened his mouth, before Megatron had even opened his optics or came fully online, his olfactory sensors had detected that unique scent of Seaspray's, smelling of the ocean in a way that the Decepticon base did not. The Decepticon base was cold and still and dark and full of machine smells, its inhabitants working hard to keep themselves free of the encumbrances of the sea. Seaspray's scent was the light, sun or moon, a hint of seaweed, of the fishes that had brushed against his armor and been welcomed, of sand ground into pedes, of seashells.

He smelled like the deserted island where they'd fallen in love, of walks on the beach at night in the moonlight, of thrilling rides through the surf, laughing. Some part of Megatron had relaxed upon scenting him.

"Me." the Autobot said. 

Megatron ground his teeth in outrage when the Autobot dared to sit down upon the berth next to Megatron, as if Megatron were no threat to him at all! 

Megatron longed to level his fusion cannon at Seaspray and show the Autobot just how wrong he was. Megatron was not weak, and did not let Autobots just crawl into his berth for a chat. 

And yet he didn't raise his fusion cannon. And he didn't shove the fat little minibot off the berth, either.

"You destroyed the necklace I made you." Seaspray said, his voice calm but with a hint of sadness.

"Does it make you sad, Autobot, that I broke your stupid trinkets?" Megatron mocked.

"Only because you don't have it now, Megatron." Seaspray gurgled. "You don't have many nice things." 

Ridiculous. Megatron had many nice things, like his fusion cannon, his base here and on Cybertron, not to mention the many shiny transforming planes, shuttles, tanks etcetera that belonged to him. 

"I have everything I want, Autobot, except Prime's head on a stick." Megatron said. 

Seaspray let out a sigh of bubbles, as if Megatron were being difficult. Megatron's spark gave a little twist at the sight of his Autobot's disappointment, and Megatron hated it. If he could have ripped it out and lived without the weak thing, he would have.

"What about me?" Seaspray asked quietly, turning his small blue optics to look up at Megatron's face.

"What...about..." Megatron was at a loss for what to say.

"Would you want me?" Seaspray asked, shining blue optics imploring Megatron to say yes.

"It doesn't matter." Megatron ground out finally. "I can't have you." 

Seaspray's hung his head, looking down at the powdered remains of the shells on the floor. Megatron thought he could detect the glint of optic cleanser fluid on his cheeks. 

"Unless..." Megatron started. 

Seaspray's head shot back up. "What? Unless what?" Seaspray asked.

"Unless you were willing to join me." 

"Never." Seaspray said, his voice firm.

"You wouldn't have to fight your...friends." Megatron cajoled. "You could have a non-combat, support position." 

"Not ever, Megatron." 

"Then nothing changes." Megatron said, frustration evident in his voice.

"Maybe we can't be together all the time but...Go for a swim with me? Like old times?" Seaspray pleaded.

Megatron hesitated. "If anyone were to find out..." 

He would be a laughingstock. Cavorting about the sea with an Autobot, and one of the goofy ones at that. Seaspray would face less loss of face among the Autobots, but his loyalty would still be deeply in question as well as his sanity.

"I snuck away from the Autobots and right into your headquarters without anyone catching on. I can get us out, no problem." Seaspray promised. 

Megatron's spark prickled uneasily at that reminder. The Autobot could have assassinated him if he were so inclined. It was a good thing Seaspray loved him.

"Then lead the way, Autobot." Megatron ordered. 

One tiny blue hand grasped his and led him to the vent system. Megatron was too big to climb through in root mode, but transformed into a gun, Seaspray was able to carry him through and out into the ocean waters without being discovered.

Once out, he transformed from his alt mode and looked around. Seaspray transformed into his own alt mode, and Megatron grabbed ahold of him. With a playful wag of his propellers, Seaspray took off, dragging arguably the most terrifying Decepticon in the universe along for a tour of the seabed. 

As they darted around colonies of coral and scattered schools of startled fish, Megatron felt a lightness in his spark that he had not felt in a very long time. It was bitterly ironic that he had fought for his freedom but had never once, upon throwing off the shackles of the elite, felt as free as he did now, clinging to the body of an enemy as they romped carelessly through the ocean. 

A strange sound made itself known to his audios, as Seaspray shook his body wildly to brush off a clinging barnacle, and he found himself looking around for the source. It was with some shock Megatron realized it was coming from himself. It was laughter, but there was no hint of bitterness or his usual cruel triumph in it. It was as light and carefree as the sunlight playing on the surface of a shell lying on the beach. It amazed him how alien it was. 

He wanted to laugh like that more. Megatron realized that while he didn't know how he could take Seaspray and make him his own, possess him like one of his own Decepticons, he didn't care. What mattered was that right now, the little bot was in his hands, and wanted to be nowhere else. Perhaps his Autobot beloved would keep going, swimming until they found some deserted little spot off of Australia or Africa, and left the Autobots and Decepticons behind until they forgot they even existed. 

Megatron had always longed for his freedom, and it seemed only Seaspray could give it to him.

**Author's Note:**

> Any feedback, including criticisms, is always appreciated.


End file.
